Magically Brought Together
by Gamer95
Summary: Lissa and Maribelle are best friends, a muggle and a wizard respectively. However, when the abused saviour of the wizarding world comes into their lives, they find themselves growing closer than ever as they work together to give him the life he deserves... LissaxMaribelle.
1. Chapter 1

"Ugh, why are we here again Lissa?" a blonde woman was complaining to her companion.

"Because Mari, we never hang out anymore and you told me that you had the afternoon off from your job so I thought that we would spend that time catching up." an excitable young woman responded much to the other's chagrin.

Maribelle shook her head and smiled. "As much as I don't care for walking for such a prolonged period of time, I must admit, this neighbourhood has a rather charming vibe to it." Lissa grimaced.

"Really? I think it's boring."

"It has character!" Maribelle retorted.

"It's the same type of character then." Lissa stated "By the way you never stated what your job was, I assumed that it must be important if it keeps you this busy." Lissa said much to Maribelle's panic.

"Yes..It is very...VERY taxing..." She said through gritted teeth. "There has been many a day that I wish I could just QUIT..."

"Why don't you then? I mean if you hate it that much then why apply for it in the first place?" Lissa asks.

Maribelle sighed. "It's...very complicated, dear..." She replied softly.

"Mari, you can tell me anything. We're best friends aren't we?" Lissa said smiling gently.

Maribelle took a deep breath. "Well...I suppose...All right...I'll tell you..." As they were walking past #4 they heard yelling and something being thrown against a wall. The two look at each other and heat towards the house. "Whatever in the world could it be?" Maribelle asked.

"Whatever it is, it doesn't sound good." Lissa answered.

"Indeed..." Maribelle nodded. Then they heard it...

"HOW DARE YOU DROP MY DINNER, YOU FREAK?! YOU RUINED MY MEAL AND DESTROYED ONE OF OUR BEST PLATES! IF YOU'RE GOING TO BREAK GLASS ON OUR FLOOR, LET'S JUST SEE HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT BROKEN GLASS!"

"No...Please Uncle Vernon...I'm sorry, don't hit me with-"

There was the sound of an agonized scream combined with the shattering of glass. They gasp and Lissa takes the initiative and kicks the door open with all her strength and the two rush in.

"I didn't know you had that kind of strength..." Maribelle muttered.

"Not the time!" Lissa said urgently. Lissa grabs Maribelle's hand and pulls her along towards what they assume is the kitchen.

Inside, they saw a terrible sight.

A massively obese man, easily bigger than even Lissa's big brother, Chrom.

A tiny child, curled up in a ball, all kinds of horrible wounds all over his fragile little body.

It was like David vs Goliath...and Goliath was destroying David.

The obese man was slightly staggering with a blush on his face meaning that he was drunk enough to lose coordination in his hand was a broken bottle with the jagged edges pointed at the child and he was waving it in a threatening manner. A closer look made it clear that the shards of glass embedded in the boy's skin were clear evidence that this man had broken the bottle against the child. "Have another, FREAK!" The man prepared to bring the shattered bottle down onto the little boy...

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Maribelle shouted turning the obese man's attention to the two intruders, in his inebriated state he sees that Lissa had yet to let go of Maribelle's hand.

"The bloody hell's this, then?!" He exclaimed. "I don't need to take orders from a couple of filthy lesbians!"

Maribelle and Lissa blushed at the insulation at being lovers "Wh-what are you talking about? That's besides the point! What the hell to you think you're doing to that child?" Lissa said.

"I'm just...giving him what he deserves. He's a bloody freak, and this is his punishment for his freakiness." Maribelle looked down at the child, and her eyes widened in recognition.

"Why in Merlin's name is Harry Potter here of all places?!" Maribelle asks in shock momentarily forgetting about the Statue of Secrecy.

Lissa turned to give Maribelle a weird look. "Huh? What are you talking about?" She asked.

Vernon recognizes the usage of the word 'Merlin' from Petunia's description of those that live in the wizarding world "YOU'RE A FREAK LIKE HIM ARE'NT YOU?" he roars and lumbers towards the two in a drunken rage. When he was within distance, however, Lissa raised her foot just in time to nail him with a strong kick right where the sun don't shine.

Surprisingly Vernon did not fall, weather it was sheer willpower or drunken stupidity was unknown but it gave Maribelle enough time to pull her wand out and shout "Stupefy" and a red jet of light shoots out and stuck Vernon knocking him out. Lissa's eyes bulged out in shock. "What the...What was that?!" She exclaimed. Maribelle ignored Lissa for the moment and rushed over to Harry and started to look at his injuries.

"Disgusting..." She mumbled. "The boy who lived...Living in such horrid condition..."

"Okay Maribelle what the hell is going on here?" Lissa all but shouted.

Maribelle turned to Lissa with a frown. "...I...I will explain later, Lissa...The child needs help..."

"Alright." Lissa said and the two started to work on Harry's more severe injuries. Lissa stared in awe as Maribelle pulled out a strange stick and began glossing over the child's body. "What is that, Mari?" She asked.

Maribelle sighs "This is my wand, Holly, ten inches and with unicorn hair. Magic is real Lissa, I'm sorry I had to keep it secret from you but that's not important right now. What matters for the moment is that this child survives, I promise I'll tell you all about it later." she said focusing on the task at hand. Lissa's jaw practically hit the floor as a light came from the end of the wand, and the unconscious child's limbs gently moved back into drops her wand exhausted "There, I've reset his bones but the more serious injuries has to be taken care of in a hospital." she said placing the wand back into her purse.

"...Amazing..." Lissa said softly. Lissa heads to the kitchen phone and calls for an ambulance while Maribelle watches over Harry. The young woman placed a hand on the boy's shoulder sadly.

"You'll be okay Harry." Maribelle said quietly.

Harry started to fidget and talk in his sleep "N-no more uncle Vernon, I'll be a good freak." he slurred much to Maribelle's shock.

"Oh my goodness..." She whispered. "Why on Earth is he even in such a horrid place?"

"Is he okay?" Lissa asks getting off the phone with emergency services.

"No, Lissa...He's severely wounded...Both physically and mentally..." Maribelle replied.

Lissa winced "Poor kid, the dispatcher said they'll be here in ten minuets, and that we should go with them to tell the paramedics the situation." she said gently brushing his hair with her hand inadvertently revealing the cursed scar on his forehead. "Wow...It looks like a lightning bolt...What are the odds of that happening?" She said.

"That isn't a normal scar Lissa, that is a reminder of our darkest time and also the lightest." Maribelle said thinking back to the war.

"...You do realize now you have to tell me absolutely everything you can about this whole magic thing, right?"

"I'm well aware of that Lissa." Maribelle said as the ambulance and the police show up.

Lissa picked Harry up to carry him to the ambulance. She looked at his face and smiled. "Awwww..." She cooed softly. "He's really cute..."

'It's hard to believe that the savior of the wizarding world was being abused by his own uncle. Something's not right here, I think I'll have to talk to Bones about investigating Dumbledore.' Maribelle thought as she climbs into the ambulance, looking out the window she sees the police hauling Harry's uncle and literally stuffing him into the back of the patrol car making it dip. Maribelle smirked slightly despite herself, amused by Vernon's sheer girth. She then turned her thoughts to Harry, when she saw him for the first time he looked so...broken, so fragile and so afraid 'What the hell happened in that home?'Maribelle thought to herself 'Whoever put him here has a reserved seat in hell for child abusers.' she thought darkly as the ambulance pulls into the hospital. Maribelle nudged Lissa. "...It would likely be best to call your family and let them know where we are." She said calmly.

"Yeah, maybe I should." Lissa said distantly focusing her attention to Harry.

"You're quite concerned for him as well, aren't you?" Maribelle said.

"To be honest, I was scared when that monster was heading towards us. I thought a strong hit to the nads would bring him down but he kept coming." Lissa said.

Maribelle smirked. "Well, if he had gotten to us, you could at least rest assured that Chrom would have hospitalized him and Emmeryn would financially ruin him..."

Lissa laughed at the image "True, and I can actually imagine Chrom threatening him with the family sword sweating like the fat pig he is." Lissa said making the two laugh at the thought.

"Well, regardless, he is still getting what he deserves." Maribelle said softly. "...What will we do with the child, though...? We've gotten him out of there...But he's essentially an orphan now."

"Emmeryn could file for custody of him until we sort this out." Lissa suggested.

Maribelle smiled. "Yes, your sister would readily do that, wouldn't she? She's always been kind and generous to a fault, and she's unlikely to turn a blind eye to a child in need."

"I don't think anyone would Mari." Lissa said.

"No, there are cruel people out there...That man we just defeated is a great example..."

"I know..."Lissa said sadly.

"...But, I will say, I do feel the good outweighs the bad. ...For the most part, anyway..." Lissa smiled at Maribelle's words as the ambulance pulls into the hospital.

"He really is adorable..." Lissa said softly as she looked at Harry.

"Let's get him inside so the doctors can do their job." Maribelle said letting the paramedics escort the two inside.

"Why'd he do it...?" Lissa asked softly. "Why'd he hurt such a cute boy...? It...It doesn't make...any sense...It's...It's..." Lissa buried her face into her hands to hide her tears.

"We humans fear what we do not understand, and that fear changes into hate." Maribelle said. She wrapped her arms around her friend as a form of comfort. "Everything will be alright Lissa, I promise." Maribelle said.

Lissa took a deep breath to compose herself, then glared forward. "...If Emmery doesn't adopt him...I will." She said firmly.

"Lissa dear, are you sure? You only recently reached eighteen years of age..."

"It doesn't matter if I just turned eighteen or eighty! I want to take care of Harry and give him the love that he should've had." Lissa said.

Maribelle smiled and giggled. "Just like you, Lissa...You always had a heart of pure gold..."

"Thanks, I'm going to look for a payphone and try to get a hold of sis or Chrom. Let me know if anything changes okay?" she said heading off to find said payphone. Maribelle looked after her friend's retreating figure and sighed as she sat down in a nearby chair. She sighs and merely let her thoughts drift towards what had happened earlier and realized that she was in the presence of the Boy-Who-Lived the savior of the wizarding world. She suppose she could bask in the glory for a brief moment before focusing on his welfare. She smiled at the thought of Lissa caring for the child. She was a sweet, caring person. She'd be the ideal mother for someone like Harry. She would raise him into a fine young man. She'd teach him to be polite to others, well-mannered...And she would be perfect for helping him get over his emotional stress. But maybe that isn't enough, maybe she should help in the more magical aspects of raising a child. Sure, she wouldn't be a very good mother at all...But she would try to help out the best she could.

Maribelle smiled at the idea of helping raise Harry become a good person like his parents would've wanted. She frowned. His parents...What would they say if they could see what had happened to their child? Would they be happy that Harry was now in a loving home and being cared for by people that would love him unconditionally? She doubts that she would ever get the answers but for now taking care of Harry is all that matters. She looked over at the room Harry was being treated in. And for the first time in a very long time she began to pray for Harry's safety.

'Please...Let him recover from this. Both physically...and emotionally...'

The door to the examination room opened and a doctor stepped out. Maribelle looked into his face, hoping for the best.

"It seems that you were fortunate to get to Harry in time, he's asleep right now but he can have visitors as long as you're not too loud." the doctor said.

Maribelle sighed with relief. "Thank goodness." She said softly. Lissa came back in, smiling ear to ear.

"Chrom and Emmeryn are on their way right now." She said.

"That's good, the doctor just informed me that Harry will be just fine and is sleeping." Maribelle informed her.

Lissa sighed in relief and took a seat. "Good..." She said softly. "When can we go in and see him?"

"We can visit him right now as long as we're quiet." Maribelle said.

Lissa hopped to her feet. "Well then what are we sitting around for? Let's go!" She said in a hushed voice. Maribelle giggled and the two entered the room.

They looked inside to see the sleeping child wrapped up in bandages. Concern filled the two as they enter the room, the sounds of the machines filling the silence.

"...We have to get him a good home." Lissa said.

"And he will be in one if your sister has anything to say about it." Maribelle said. Lissa and Maribelle wordlessly took a seat by Harry's bedside.

"You recognized Harry's name, how did you know it? Was it some type of magical spell?" Lissa asks her best friend.

Maribelle shook her head. "No, dear...This child is famous throughout the wizarding world..."

"How?" Lissa asks.

Maribelle sighs "A few years ago the wizarding world was in a state of a civil war, it actually began much earlier but suffice it to say no one was safe. A group of dark wizards calling themselves 'Death Eaters' has had all of the magical Europe in a stranglehold of sorts. Sure there was resistance groups but they did little more than hit and run tactics, even the magical government was under their control." Maribelle started.

Lissa's eyes widened. "That's awful!" She exclaimed. "Why did you wait so long to tell me this?!"

"We have what's called a Statue of Secrecy, basically it prevents wizards and witches from exposure to non-magicals, and likewise it prevents non magic users from finding us." Maribelle explains.

"No...I meant...Why didn't you tell me about all of this? We're best friends...We tell each other everything...This is a really big secret you've been keeping from me..."

"It's not by choice Lissa, I mentioned that people fear what they do not understand. As such if a magic user starts slinging spells around in the middle of say Times Square you can bet that there will be repercussions for both sides." Maribelle said.

"Still...Do you not trust me to keep your secrets? You know you can tell me anything, Mari."

"I was afraid..."Maribelle said hesitantly "Actually, you're not the first person I told this secret to, when I was fifteen and on break from Hogwarts I met this guy and we started dating. It was going so well and I felt comfortable enough to tell him, so I introduced him to my parents and I revealed my secret that I used magic, I thought that he would find it amazing or was in shock but I didn't expect outright fear and calling me a pawn for Satan. So my parents wiped his memory of the event and placed false ones saying that he realized that it would never work out and we broke up." she said with tears in her eyes.

Lissa looked at her sadly and hugged her. "Mari...I'm so sorry...I had no idea..." She said softly.

"The Statue applies to all magic users, even me. There are magic users that are born from those that have no magical ancestor, the're called Muggle-Borns, there are magic users that eventually marry a non mage and they eventually have a child, they're called Half-Bloods and finally there are those whose parentage are magic users that can be traced back for generations and they're called Purebloods. When we turn eleven we go to attend a magic school for seven years called Hogwarts, other parts of the world have similar schools but nonetheless we eventually graduate from the school." Maribelle continues. One particular Dark Wizard went by the moniker 'Lord Voldemort' and in his campaign he rallied every pureblood into and I quote "Purge the wizarding world of it's taint by removing undesirable elements in it." and his group killed anyone that opposed him and non magicals weren't safe either since they have no defenses against magic."

Lissa frowned. "That's terrible!" She exclaimed. "But he's gone now...right?"

"I don't know the details but apparently Harry's parents James and Lilly went into hiding and he somehow discovered their location, he killed James first and Lilly when she was shielding Harry, and when Voldemort tried to kill Harry the curse somehow rebounded killing him instead, and the scar on Harry's forehead is proof of that." Maribelle finished.

Lissa gasped, then turned to Harry. "Oh my goodness...This cute little thing killed that powerful dark wizard guy when he was only a baby?"

Maribelle sighs "Sadly, not everything was resolved when Voldemort was vanquished, his followers scattered and managed to slip through the cracks of the justice system and some of them got away Scott free by bribery and threats." she continued.

Lissa scowled. "That's stupid..." She muttered. "No offense, but your justice system sounds preeeeetty flawed."

Maribelle nods "It doesn't help that the current Minister of Magic is an ostrich in human clothing. He takes bribes and when a threat pops up he just denies it and continues to do it until the threat is over and then claim that it was his leadership skills that stopped the threat." she stated.

Lissa pouted. "I think I prefer being...not a wizard. No offence..."

"To each their own Lissa, personally I don't know what I would do without magic." Maribelle said.

"You seem to get by without it just fine whenever you come to visit. And sometimes you visit for weeks." Lissa pointed out.

"True, but it's just a matter of preference really." Maribelle countered, just as a knock was at the door. The two young women turned to the door, and a familiar head peeked in.

"Hello?" a young man a few years older than Lissa entered the room.

"Chrom!" Lissa rushed over to hug him.

Chrom grinned and hugged his sister back. "Hello, Lissa!" He exclaimed. "How's the boy doing? Is he all right?"

"They said he'll recover, where's your older sister?" Maribelle asked.

"She's getting the paperwork to be Harry's guardian filled out." Chrom answered.

Lissa and Maribelle blinked. "...Well...How abrupt that was..." Maribelle said.

"Well Emm believes in getting things done in a smooth and precise manner." Chrom said.

"She hasn't even seen him yet..." Lissa said with a small smile.

"Does it matter? When Lissa told us what happened Emm immediately got on the phone with our lawyers and they sent the paperwork." Chrom stated like it was an everyday thing "Fredrick is being overly cautious as usual but she felt that Harry would be better off at the family home than in an orphanage." he said.

Lissa rolled her eyes at hearing Frederick's cautious response. "Oh, Frederick..." She mumbled. "He's a little boy, what's there to be cautious about? He can be so silly sometimes."

"In any event, Harry will be taken to our mansion as soon as he's fully healed." Chrom said.

"Awesome!" Lissa said.

Chrom smiled "Maribelle, my sister says that you haven't had time to catch up with my sister so how about you come over to the mansion for dinner tonight?" he asks her.

Maribelle smiled. "Well, if you're certain it's no trouble, I'd be more than happy to dine with you all."

"We'll have it when Harry arrives at the mansion so there would be no awkwardness." Chrom said.

"Wait...I think he's waking up..." Lissa said softly.

"I'll get a doctor to check up on him." Chrom said leaving the room. Lissa was immediately hovering over Harry, a smile on her face. She turned to Maribelle, and ushered her over.

"C'mon, Mari, come say hi." Harry groaned as he started to awaken, he noticed that the colors were all blurry, he assumed that he wasn't wearing his glasses. A unfamiliar voice spoke scaring him. "Here, you're looking for these right?" the voice was female and sounded chipper, he felt his glasses in his hands and automatically put them on. As he was putting on his glasses, he found himself curious to see who the voice that spoke to him belonged to...

There standing in front of him were two women both of them having blonde hair, one had hers up in a loose bun while the other had hers loose, they were the bun haired woman was wearing white pants, a matching blouse and a light red jacket. The other woman was dressed in a light blue skirt that reached her knees, a dark purple shirt and a blue denim jacket.

Harry blinked in confusion, then whimpered and pulled the blankets he was tucked in with over his head. The woman that handed him his glasses gently moved the blanket off him and gently gave him a hug "Hey,hey,hey it's alright. You're safe now, your uncle can't hurt you anymore." she said gently. Harry let out another whimper, and began struggling to escape her grip...only to whimper once more when he accidentally reopened one of his smaller wounds.

The second woman rushed over and placed a small gauze pad on it to stem the bleeding "Harry, try to relax, you're going to reopen your wounds from earlier." she said in a gentle tone matching the first woman's. Harry remained still, not wanting to hurt himself anymore, but he still trembled with fear and confusion, not understanding what was happening. Still, he didn't speak. Freaks were meant to be seen and not heard.

Lissa noticed this "Harry can you speak?" she asks him.

"Y-Yes...But...M'not allowed..." Harry replied softly.

"Can you please tell me why?" Lissa prompted.

"F-Freaks should be seen and not heard..."

"Harry, listen to me carefully, you are NOT a freak. Your uncle wanted to make you feel like that, he wanted to make himself feel better, trust me you are not a freak in any sense of the word." Lissa explained.

"But...He...He said...I..." Harry didn't even know what to say.

"Harry, your uncle has lied to you plain and simple. You have to trust me." Lissa said.

"But...He says grown ups are always right..." Harry replied.

"If I may interject, your uncle was about to kill you while drunk. Did you think that was right?" Maribelle said.

"I deserved it..." Harry said. "I shouldn't have even been born in the first place..." Lissa and Maribelle gasped at how he sounded, he sounded like he has given up on life. Lissa teared up, then immediately pulled him into a tight embrace. Harry was confused at the action, why were they hugging a freak like him? He didn't deserve anything, not even the air he breathed. So why do they care for him? He needed answers, and he needed them now. So he took a deep breath and spoke. "Wh-Why are you hugging me? Aren't you scared you'll get sick from touching a freak like me?"

"Harry, you are not a freak." Maribelle said reaffirming what Lissa said "Your uncle is worse than anything, he's the freak not you." she said. And with that, she knelt down and joined her best friend in hugging Harry. The warm comfort was overwhelming and he felt the walls surrounding his emotions shatter and for the first time he started to cry freely. He buried his face into Lissa's chest, causing the sounds of his soft sobs to become barely audible.

After a few moments Harry stopped crying, he pulled away from Lissa's chest and asked "Why? Why do they hate me so much?" before a fresh wave of tears came.

Lissa let out a soft sob of her own and tightened her hold on him. "Because...they're evil...Pure...evil..."

Maribelle sniffs as well "Rest assured that they are getting the punishment that they deserve for harming an innocent child." she said, The two women both held Harry tightly, offering him all of the comfort they could. Harry himself continues crying until eventually he runs out of tears, his heart aches but it was lessened by seeing two women that saved him hugging him.

Harry looked between Lissa and Maribelle sadly. "Wh-What happened, anyway? I-If you d-don't mind me asking..." He said timidly.

"The last I saw the police were struggling to stuff your uncle inside a patrol car." Maribelle said.

"B-But how did they find me...? How did YOU find me...?" Lissa and Maribelle calmly explained how they found Harry with Maribelle exempting the use of magic. Maribelle considered telling him what he truly was... But she decided against it for the moment, let Harry heal mentally before dropping the magical bomb on him, though Chrom and Lissa's sister needs to know.

"Good news, Harry..." Lissa said softly. "My sister adopted you, so you'll be living with us from now on."

"Why would your sister adopt a freak like me?" Harry asks Lissa sadly.

"Stop it..." Lissa pleaded softly. "PLEASE don't say that about yourself anymore."

"But it's true isn't it? I am a freak that doesn't deserve to live!" Harry all but screamed at Lissa causing a strong wind to kick up.

"Harry, please stop!" Lissa held him tighter.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Harry screamed and Lissa and Maribelle were knocked into the wall by Harry's magic.

Maribelle hopped to her feet. "That is ENOUGH!" She said firmly. Her stern tone immediately got to Harry, and he began to regret his actions.

"I'm sorry!" he said pulling the covers over his head and started to tremble in fear of the woman. "I'm so sorry...I'm sorry...I won't do it again, I'm sorry, sorry sorry sorry sorry..." Maribelle started to reach out to Harry but stopped, she should've known better than to yell at him. Lissa rose to her feet as well, clutching her aching head with a groan.

Maribelle whispered "I'm sorry." before leaving the room crying at losing her temper and taking it out on a child. Leaving Lissa to deal with Harry.

"Mari, wait!" Lissa called out, reaching out for her friend.

Harry poked his head from the covers "I'm sorry for making Miss Maribelle mad." he whimpered. Lissa looked to Harry, an utterly heartbroken look on her face.

"It's not your fault Harry, she was just scared and worried for you." she said.

"No...It is my fault...Everything's my fault...I'm sorry...I'm just...gonna stop talking...I don't wanna hurt anyone else..."

"Oh Harry..." Lissa said before hugging him. Harry rested his head against her chest, feeling numb. However, he heard a faint rhythmic thumping noise coming from Lissa's chest...That sound soothed his nerves... "How about you get some rest. I'll talk to Mari okay?" she asked him.

Harry looked up at her. "Wh-What's the noise in your chest? The thumping noise?"

"That was my heartbeat why?" Lissa asks him.

"...It's...a really nice sound...I...I like listening to it...It makes me feel better..." Harry said softly. Lissa felt her heart melt at those words, and she smiled.

"I'm glad. Now how about that rest? I promise that everything will be alright." Lissa said as Harry starts to close his eyes. Lissa watches Harry finally fall asleep, for a moment she looks at his adorable face sleeping peacefully. She bit her lip...then let out a soft squeal of delight at his words, eyes shut and fists clenched by her face, smiling hugely. She forced herself to calm down, and rose to her feet. She bent over and kissed Harry's cheek. "I'll be back, sweetie." She said softly.

She gently shut the door behind her and went to search for Maribelle.


	2. Chapter 2

Lissa wandered the hallways looking for her runaway friend, she remembered seeing how distraught she looked when she yelled at Harry. She knew that Maribelle blamed herself for going off like that so she needs to find her and calm her down. "Mari!" She called out. "Mari, come on, please come out! We need to talk about this...Everything will turn out okay, I promise! Harry's not scared of you! Please, Mari?" 'Dammit Mari, where the hell are you?' Lissa thought as she searched the hospital.

Maribelle was hiding out in the ladies room in a stall, hugging her legs to her chest. She was crying, her tears staining her shirt as she was mentally berating herself for her actions. 'He's in so much pain...It was wrong of me to yell at him...I...I don't deserve to be near him...'I should apologize to Lissa for how I acted, maybe it should be best that I stay away from Harry.' Maribelle thought.

Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice sound throughout the washroom. "Mari? Are you in here?"

"Lissa?" Maribelle asked.

"Mari! You're in the stall...Listen...About what happened with Harry-"

"I should stay away from him Lissa. I yelled at an abused five year old, what kind of person am I if I did that?" she asks rhetorically.

"Mari, you're overreacting." Lissa said gently. "You didn't really yell. You raised your voice a bit, but you didn't yell. Besides, it had to be done. He wasn't calming down. It was the only way to get him to relax from the look of it..."

"But still I..."Maribelle started until Lissa cuts her off.

"Mari...No more. You did what you had to do, and Harry doesn't hate you. Okay?"

"But what if I blow up at him again and instinctively use magic on him when I do?" Maribelle said afraid of harming Harry.

Lissa raised a brow. "He was just scared, Mari. Trust me, he's a little angel."

"I really can't trust myself around him Lissa." Maribelle said sadly. Lissa sighed, then reached over and gave her friend a light bonk on the head. "Ow!" Maribelle said clutching the spot where Lissa hit.

"Mari, you're being dumb." Lissa said flatly.

"What?" Maribelle asks her best friend.

"Have you EVER lost control of your magic and hurt someone in your adulthood?"

"Well...No..."

"Then why should you worry about it now?" Lissa asks her.

"I...I don't want to hurt him, Lissa...He's suffered so much...I don't want to make it worse..."

"Mari, I'll be there with you to prevent that." Lissa said.

"But-" Lissa bonked her again.

"Mari, just go with it okay?" Lissa said. Maribelle hesitated, then nodded. "Good! Now come on, we're gonna go see him again."

"Okay." Maribelle said sighing in defeat knowing that once Lissa gets like this there's no stopping her.

Lissa smiled and grabbed her friend's arm. "That's the spirit! Let's go!"

"Um, Lissa. Remember what happened last time you literally dragged me along for the ride?" Maribelle said recalling what Harry's uncle said about the two with a small blush on her face at the memory.

"Oh...Right..." Lissa let go of her friend's hand. "That was...awkward, huh?"

"Yes." Maribelle agreed. The two looked over at each other, then turned away blushing.

"A-anyway we should get going." Lissa said, this time Maribelle was following Lissa and not being dragged along. They approached Harry's room, and Lissa slowly opened the door. Inside was Harry peacefully sleeping looking like an angel despite the injuries that was inflicted upon him. The two women exchanged a sad smile.

"He's a strong boy..." Maribelle said softly.

"I know, but I can't help but worry for him." Lissa admitted.

"Indeed..." Maribelle agreed. "...You are right about one thing...He IS absolutely adorable..."

"The cutest!" Lissa agreed.

Lissa closed her eyes and smiled widely. "I just never wanna stop cuddling him, he's soooo cuuuute..."

"So, how will we do this? I mean sure Harry gets to be raised in a loving home but what about accidental magic?" Maribelle asks.

Lissa frowned. "...I think we have to tell Chrom and Emmeryn."

"I was actually planning on doing that." Maribelle admitted. Lissa smiled.

"Oh? There's something you wish to tell us?" A female voice sounded. Startled, the two turned around to see Emmeryn standing there with a small bag at her side. Chrom was standing beside his older sister. He smiled and waved at the two younger women.

"Sis!" Lissa rushed over and hugged her older sister.

Emmeryn smiled and hugged her back. "Hello, Lissa. How is Harry? Has he woken at all?"

"He's currently asleep. He had a very emotional day." Maribelle said.

Emerryn nodded. "Yes, I would imagine so...I was having a discussion with the head doctor, and he informed me that Harry is well enough to come home with us."

"We should wait for him to wake up first. If Harry wakes up in another unfamiliar place he will panic." Maribelle cautioned.

Emeryn nodded. "And so we shall. Chrom? Would you mind terribly running out and purchasing something to eat for all of us?"

"Okay." he said leaving the three women alone.

They all watched him leave, then Emerryn turned to her little sister. "So, are you happy to have a new member of the family?"

"Yes I am Em. He deserves the love and affection that those monsters denied him." Lissa answered.

"Well then let's all be sure to offer him just that."

"Is there any word on Harry's relatives?" Maribelle asks.

Emerry scowled. "Those horrid people...Thankfully they have been dealt with...If all goes the way I'd like it to, they'll never know life outside of prison again."

"I see." Maribelle said.

"Oh? Is he already awakening?" Emerryn said. Indeed, Harry was stirring in his sleep. Harry groaned and quickly put his glasses on, when he sees Maribelle he immediately ducked underneath the covers whimpering. Maribelle bit her lip, and took a step back. Lissa stepped behind her and gave her a shove forward. Maribelle sighed.

"Harry, I would like to apologize for scaring you earlier. I was out of line and wasn't thinking when I yelled at you." Maribelle said sincerely.

Harry slowly peeked out from under the blanket and looked up at her. "S-So...You're not mad at me anymore...?"

"I wasn't mad at you but that doesn't excuse the fact I scared you and made you afraid of me." Maribelle said. She slowly approached the bed, and fiddled with her hands nervously. "Um...Is it all right with you if I hug you, darling...?"

"O-okay." Harry said softly and he slowly wraps his arms around the woman and she in turn does the same. Harry found that Maribelle's hugs were about as comfy as Lissa's. Emmeryn and Lissa smiled at the scene just as Chrom returned with a brown paper bag full of burritos.

"I've returned-" He froze. "Oh? Am I ruining the moment?"

Lissa scowled at the bag of burritos "Ugh, seriously?" she said scrunching her face in disgust.

Chrom shrugged. "I wanted to return quickly, and it was the closest place I could get food."

"I swear you like burritos as much as Fredrick likes to eat bear meat." Lissa scolded her older brother.

"Do you want to eat or not?"

"...Fine. But you're going to eat Fredrick's next bear meat concoction." Lissa said making her brother turn into an interesting shade of green, this is why Fredrick is not allowed into the kitchens unless given the go ahead by Lissa or Emmeryn. Chrom began passing out burritos to everyone. Harry stared at the burrito Chrom was holding out to him.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Harry asks Lissa.

Lissa frowned. "You...eat it...Unfortunately..." She replied, making her distaste for burritos clear.

"Really?" Harry said making the rest of the occupants worried at how he was reacting to a simple burrito.

"Yep...It's...um...Y-Yummy..." Lissa forced herself to say.

"Harry, how much have you eaten while at your relatives?" Maribelle asks him almost dreading the answer.

"I get a piece of bread every couple of weeks...That's enough, right?"

"Harry, a person needs three meals a day not a piece of bread bi weekly." Emmeryn said sadly.

"But I'm not human...So that's all I need, right?"

"You are human Harry, it's just the way your relatives treated you was inhumane." Chrom said.

"I...I'm confused..." Harry said softly.

"The way they treated you was wrong Harry." Lissa clarified.

"No...I mean...Everything's changing...Everything I know is...wrong...?"

"Well not everything but we'll help you on that." Lissa said. And with that, she sat on the bed on his left, and hugged him along with Maribelle. Harry felt the comforting warm of the dual hug and smiled happily.

Emerryn smiled. "It appears you will be caring for him more than I will, Lissa."

"What do you mean sis? You raised us both fine." Lissa said.

"Yes, but I'm sure he'll have imprinted on you more than me by now."

"Are you sure that I'll be a good mother Em?" Lissa asks.

"You and Maribelle both." Emerryn replied with a nod.

"Me?" Maribelle asks in surprise. Emerryn nodded, but said nothing more, a mysterious smirk on her face.

"Who else is going to help Lissa in raising Harry?" she asked rhetorically.

"Well, you and Chrom and Frederick, of course." Maribelle replied.

"We are keeping him FAR away from Fredrick's unholy creations." Lissa shuddered.

"I have a suggestion: Why not deliver it to Harry's relatives instead?" Maribelle suggested.

"We'll have to be discrete about it..." Chrom said thoughtfully.

"Say it's from a distant relative?" Emmeryn suggested. The four adults all smirked at the thought.

Harry looked at the four in confusion 'Adults are weird.' he thought. 'But they's also comfy...' He thought as he snuggled between the two women who had not stopped holding him.

"Now that Harry's up we can take him home." Chrom said.

Lissa smiled and picked Harry up. "Yay!"

"I-I'm really going home with you Miss Lissa?" Harry asks shyly.

Lissa smiled. "Uh-huh! My big sister adopted you!"

Harry turned to Emmeryn "D-do you really want me Miss Emmeryn?" Harry asks her, the expression on his face nearly broke her heart.

"Well of course, dear." Emmeryn said gently. "It would be an honour to have you as part of the family."

Harry looks down in sadness "Freaks don't deserve families." he said.

Lissa gently cupped his chin and pulled his head up to look at her. "Haven't we been over this?"

"I'm still a freak." Harry said.

"No you most certainly are not." Maribelle said gently but firmly.

"I am." Harry said convincing himself that it was true.

"Harry...Enough." Maribelle said softly. "You are not a freak, and I dislike hearing you call yourself one. Please stop."

"Okay." Harry said slightly afraid. Maribelle noticed his tone, and her shoulders sagged sadly.

'This is going to take a lot of work to get Harry to have a normal mentality.' she thought sadly as Lissa picks him up.

Lissa looked down at Harry and gently pressed her forehead against his, looking into his eyes seriously. "Things are going to get all better, Harry..." She said softly. "That's a promise."

"We should get going. We're going to take Harry shopping for some new clothes and other essentials." Chrom said. Lissa and Maribelle's eyes sparkled at the mention of shopping. Chrom's eyes widened. "Em...I just realized we're going shopping with LISSA and MARIBELLE. I hope you brought food and a sleeping bag..."

"Ah, thank you for reminding me Chrom." Maribelle said.

"...You...really intend to stay long enough to need that stuff?" Chrom asked.

"Possibly, but I will need to inform my parents about the situation." she said.

Chrom sighed. "Well, there is a phone just outside."

"I'm afraid that our phone lines are not working so I will have to go there myself." she said.

Emmeryn tilted her head. "Will you require a ride?"

"No, but I appreciate the gesture." Maribelle said.

"Will you be returning?" Chrom asked.

"I'll meet you back at your home to save time." she said.

The three other adult occupants nodded. "Come back soon, then!" Lissa chirped. Maribelle nodded and left the room and quickly headed to a nearby supply closet, after entering she uses a near silent apparation to her family home.

"Is her home terribly far, Lissa?" Emmeryn asked. "I don't believe we've ever met her family..."

Lissa shrugged her shoulders "Maybe Mari's parents refuse to socialize that much." she suggested.

Emmeryn clicked her tongue. "Well, that hardly seems like an enjoyable way to live one's life..."

"Sister, not everyone is a social butterfly like you." Chrom pointed out.

"I suppose that is true..." Emmeryn admitted.

"Are we going to take Harry shopping sometime this century?" Lissa asks impatiently. Chrom and Emmeryn exchanged nervous glances.

"Right. Let's go Harry." Emmeryn said. Harry wasn't sure about getting new clothes...but he didn't want to argue. These people had been nice to him, and it would be rude to question them.


	3. Chapter 3

Maribelle stumbled a bit when arriving at her family's mansion, long range apparation is rather taxing on her but she can do it if needed. She shook her head with a sigh. She did not want to be here... She steels herself and enters the home.

She was very jealous of Lissa. Whenever she entered her home, she was always greeted warmly by a member of her family. When she entered hers, however, she was greeted with utter silence. 'As if they would care about me in the first place.' Maribelle thought darkly.

"Mother. Father." Maribelle called out. Silence greeted the heiress as expected there were no servants or house elves seeing them as trash and to avoid possible assassination from rival families. She sighed. It was so lonely in this household...She was so lucky to have Lissa as a friend...

She could still remember the day they met...

[Begin flashback]

A young Maribelle was sitting in the park on a swing by herself crying after a group of bullies harassed her about having no friends and being a freak. She hated her life...It wasn't fair. Her parents were awful...

"Hey!" a girl's voice spoke catching Maribelle's attention, she looked up to see a girl her age looking at her concerned.

"What do you want?!" She snapped bitterly. "Leave me alone!"

"Do you want some help?" she asked Maribelle much to her surprise.

"Wh-What...?" Maribelle sniffled. "What are you trying to do? I won't fall for any tricks!"

"What are you talking about? You looked lonely so I thought you could use a friend." the girl answered.

"A...A...A..." Maribelle didn't even know what to say. What was happening right now?

"A friend." the girl said, she extended her hand "Name's Lissa." she introduced herself.

Maribelle stared at her hand for a few moments before taking it. "M-Maribelle..."

Lissa smiled "Nice to meet you! Are you hungry? Because I could go for a hot dog right now." Lissa asked her new friend.

Maribelle grimaced. "Have you no idea what those horrid things are made of?"

"They're cheap and filling Mari!" Lissa explained.

"But...they're made from such..."

"You've never had a hot dog before haven't you?" Lissa asks her.

"...My parents won't allow it..."

"What they don't know won't kill them." Lissa said mischievously.

Maribelle sighed. "You're not going to drop it until I have one, I presume?"

"Yep!" Lissa chirped.

"Very well...Let us go have some...hot dogs..."

[End Flashback]

'Who would have thought our friendship was made that day over a hot dog?' Maribelle chuckled to herself 'But still I'm grateful towards her and her family for being there.' she thought as she made her way towards her bedroom. It didn't look like her parents were about to respond to her... She reached underneath her bed and pulled out a disillusioned suitcase filled with muggle clothing that she replaces regularly as to avoid looking out of place. She scowled over in the direction of her parents' room. 'No doubt they're trying to suck up to Fudge for another of their anti-muggle born bill.' Maribelle thought bitterly, after the failed introduction of her boyfriend to her parents they used this as fuel for various bills that would make it impossible for muggle borns to even obtain a job in the wizarding world.

Maribelle felt a pang in her chest at the thought of her boyfriend. He was a nice enough guy, charming, smart and he was practically perfect for her, it was during the summer of her 5th year and Lissa was on a family vacation so Maribelle was left alone to fill in the void of her friend's absence. She had been out at a cafe, enjoying a bite to eat. She got up to leave when she accidentally bumped into Richard spilling his drink all over her. At first, she was miffed, and she had snapped at him for ruining her clothes. Richard quickly apologized and offered to buy her another drink so she could splash it on him as a way of retribution. Maribelle had been unable to help herself. That response had been so ludicrous, she just giggled. Richard did buy her another drink and introduced himself, his family had just moved to London from Oxford, his father was getting a job transfer so they moved as a result. He was a very charming boy. Very polite, calm, charmingly eccentric...

At first they hung out at the cafe where they met but that quickly changed to going out on dates, nothing too serious but there was something that drew the two together. The time she had spent with him was the happiest she had ever been. Sadly, that time came to a abrupt and painful end. Seeing as there was no avoiding the topic of meeting one's parents Maribelle suggested that they would visit hers.

What she had told Lissa about her boyfriend being disgusted by her wizard heritage was a lie. She simply wished to keep her family issues to herself. Richard had actually grown to fully accept her being a witch, and had been excited to meet her parents...But, alas, they were less than pleased that she was dating a muggle. And so, they had wiped all memory of her from Richard's mind, put him to sleep, and sent him home via portkey. She wished that she could do something about it but at the time Voldemort was starting his campaign, so her complaints were ignored. And so, she had lost one of the greatest things that had ever happened to her because her parents disapproved. She managed to spot him once but he was happily chatting with another woman. Maribelle sighed, at least he was happy.

She pulled herself out of memory lane, and felt bitter resentment towards her parents. 'I can't be thinking about them now, Harry needs me.' she thought hurrying to leave before her parents returned. She gathered up everything she was going to need. She wouldn't need to leave a letter. Her parents never cared when she wasn't around. She leaves the mansion and apparates to Lissa's home.

Meanwhile...

Lissa blinked and shaded her eyes from the glare of the sun as the quartet exited the hospital. "Wow, we were in there WAY longer than I thought..." She said.

Emmeryn looked at Lissa with a teasing smile "Well you and Maribelle were in a hospital. Time is relatively meaningless there." she pointed out much to Chrom's amusement.

Lissa pouted. "I hate hospitals..."

"Many do. I secretly suspect that the nurses there are vampires wanting blood in the most legal way possible." Chrom said shuddering.

Emmeryn giggled. "You children and your wild imaginations."

"Anyway, where should we go to first?" Lissa asks her older sister. Emmeryn opened her mouth to respond... "Ooh! I know the perfect place to pick out his new clothes!" Lissa exclaimed.

"Lead the way sis." Chrom said.

"Aye aye, captain!" Lissa replied with a mock salute.

Soon they were in one of the busiest shopping centers in London, Lissa led them to a clothing store that was specifically tailored to children. Harry looked around at the crowded area nervously and clutched tightly to Lissa's shirt. Lissa bent down and picked Harry up, comforting him "Hey, don't worry I'll make sure nothing happens to you." she whispered into Harry's ear. Harry smiled and rested his head on her shoulder, nestling closer into her.

Soon they gathered enough clothing for Harry and decided to see if there was any toy stores for Harry. After a bit of wandering they soon stumbled upon a store with a singular name "Anna's." curious they entered the shop.

"Somehow this seems familiar..." Chrom mused.

"Welcome!" a woman's voice spoke startling the group, they turned around to see a woman around Chrom's age wearing a red business suit "I am Anna, the owner of this store. How may I help you today?" she asks them.

"...Have...we met before...?" Emmeryn asked. "Something is...familiar about you."

"You might have met one of my sisters or cousins. We're identical and all named Anna." Anna said.

Emmeryn frowned. "How confusing..."

"It must make family reunions very difficult." Chrom said with Lissa nodding.

"Oh, it does, believe me..." Anna said, grimacing slightly. "And don't get us started when we drink." she finished.

"Okay, moving on!" Lissa interrupted.

"We're looking for a stuffed animal for Harry here." Emmeryn said pointing to him.

"Let me see what I have." she heads further into the store and returns with a lion plush animal "Here you go. Will this suffice?" she asks them. Lissa looked at the cuddly toy with a contemplative expression.

She turned to Harry "Harry, what do you think?" she asked him. Harry was staring at the small plush toy.

He nodded "I like it." he said softly.

"Well then we'll take it!" Lissa exclaimed cheerfully.

"That'll be ten dollars please." Anna said handing them the lion.

Chrom blinked. "...That thing looks like it would cost five dollars at the very most..."

"Hey, a girls gotta eat right?" she said.

Lissa sighed. "Whatever, it's only ten..." She muttered as she pulled out the money. "Here..."

Anna smiled "Thank you, come back anytime." she said and they left the shop, Anna smiles "Well I guess it's time to visit another potential customer." she said as both her and her shop fades away.

"Uh...where'd the shop go?" Lissa asked, confused.

"What do you mean Lissa?" Chrom asks her in a confused manner.

"The shop's gone...Look."

"What shop?" Emmeryn replies in a similar manner.

Lissa blinked. "Huh? What are you talking about? We just bought a lion from a shop!"

"Lissa, we just came from that shop across the street where we bought this lion." Chrom said pointing to a nearby toy store.

"...Harry, you remember right?"

"Yes Miss Lissa." he said remembering the shop that was no longer there.

"See? Harry knows I'm not insane!"

"Lis, I'm surprised that you haven't gone insane before now living with this family." Chrom joked "But we seriously need to head back to the mansion, Maribelle should be there by now." he finished.

Lissa grinned excitedly. "Yeah!"

Meanwhile...

Maribelle stood by the gate to the Ylisse Manor. She mentally recounts the situation at hand and what she should do next. She had to tell Chrom and Emmeryn of her wizard heritage... She might also have to tell them about her parents, but she should try to avoid that topic unless there is no other alternative. She shuddered at the thought of finally telling her best friend and her family how hard her life was... But for now she should focus on Harry's well being. She sighed deeply. Things were getting complicated...All because of one little boy. Then again what would she had done? She could not in good judgement allow something like this to go unpunished, maybe Lissa had a bigger influence on her than she thought. She smiled at the thought. 'Lissa dear, thank you for being my friend on that day.' she thought to herself. 'I don't know what I would do without you...'

She focuses her attention to the approaching forms of Lissa, Chrom Emmeryn and Harry. She smiled warmly at the approaching group and waved.

"Hey Mari, did you wait long?" Lissa asked her.

"Not at all, my dear." Maribelle replied.

"Well then we should get dinner started." Emmeryn said and they entered the mansion.

"Yes, before Fredrick does." Chrom agreed. They laughed as Lissa and Emmeryn discuss what to make for dinner.


	4. Chapter 4

Dinner at Lissa's home was an informal affair unless they are hosting important guests, as such they only use the fine china when the needs call for it. Therefore, Harry's first dinner at their home was a casual one. Normally, the affair would be more formal but they decided to forego that this time since Harry is rather new to the home and wouldn't know how to act in that situation. Also it would possibly frighten him. Harry found himself seated between Lissa and Maribelle. The dinner for the evening was called a tater-tot casserole which is a rather easy dish to make. Harry looked down at his food, then his eyes darted back and forth between Lissa and Maribelle.

"Go ahead Harry, eat up." Maribelle encouraged. Harry nodded obediently, scooped some of the meal up in his fork and moved it up to his mouth. He blew on it to cool it faster and he takes a bite. His eyes widened at the unfamiliar taste and how good it was. Lissa giggled at his reaction. Chrom chuckles at him while Emmeryn just merely smiled. And Maribelle patted his head. Fredrick stood by in an immaculate butler outfit but with finger less gloves with a metal plate on the top of the hand.

Chrom turned to his longtime friend. "Frederick, we told you you don't have to wear that suit all the time."

"Sir, it is my duty as a butler of your home to dress appropriately for someone of my station." Fredrick said in a serious tone.

"You hate the suit." Lissa said flatly.

"Again it is part of the job description. Even if I despise the bland color." Fredrick said. Even as he said this, everyone in the room could see his clear discomfort.

"Perhaps its time to update his wardrobe." Chrom muses aloud.

"That would be most appreciated." Frederick said gratefully.

"Oh no, we are NOT letting you pick his clothes." Lissa said. "If anything, I'M picking!"

"Sis, you were the one who picked that outfit for him in the first place. "Besides, what's wrong with my taste in fashion?" Chrom asks.

"You'd have him wear bright Hawaiian shirts shorts and flip flops on cold winter days." Lissa deadpans.

"I would find it preferable, actually." Frederick tossed in.

"Only because you have a man crush on my brother." Lissa said.

Frederick's mouth formed into a line. "Well, you seem rather close to Miss Maribelle yourself, if you don't mind me saying." Emmeryn laughed at her sibling's antics.

Lissa blushed "Th-that's besides the point." she stuttered as Maribelle also blushed at Fredrick's words.

"You two are awfully red in the facial area." Emmeryn teased.

"What does that mean Miss Emmeryn?" Harry asks her.

"You'll have to wait until you're older Harry." she answered him.

"I ship it." The eldest sibling mouthed to her brother.

"Sis, you are not going to play matchmaker are you?" Chrom asks worriedly.

"We'll see, now, won't we?" Emmeryn replied slyly.

"Em, I love you but seriously, they don't need any interference from you." Chrom said. "They'll get together all on their own, I can tell." He whispered.

"Care to make a wager on that?" Emmeryn asks.

"How much?"

"If the two do not confess their affection towards each other before the end of the year then you'll get to decide on Fredrick's wardrobe." Emmeryn started "But if they do then you'll have to confess your affection towards both Sumia and Cordelia." she finished.

"...BOTH? If I lose, punish me, not them! Have you no idea the emotional pain it would cause them?!"

"Did you ever consider the emotional pain of just stringing them along?" Emmeryn rebutted "They deserve to know that you harbor affection towards them." she said.

"...But to tell them both I love them at once...Do you expect me to cheat on one of them?"

"No, I expect that they would respect the other's affection towards you and decide among themselves who should stay with you." Emmeryn replied while thinking 'Of course this could either backfire spectacularly or Chrom will lose his innocence by having two girlfriends share him.' she clears her throat "Now are the terms agreeable?" she asks her brother.

"...Very well...I accept...But on the condition that neither of us try to influence Lissa or Maribelle in any shape or form, that includes using Fredrick." Chrom stated. "And another condition...If I win, you have to tell everyone in this room about that time you got drunk."

"I thought we agreed that it never happened." Emmeryn scowled at the memory.

Chrom smirked. "Is it a fair wager?"

Emmeryn thought for a moment "...Very well, I accept your terms." she said.

"What are you two talking about over there?!" Lissa exclaimed.

"Nothing really Lissa." Emmeryn said. Lissa and Maribelle gave them suspicious glares, then turned their attentions back to Harry.

"Harry, how are you feeling dear?" Maribelle asks.

"Better." Harry admitted. "Thanks for being so nice to me...Everyone..."

"It was our pleasure Harry." Lissa said. And then she hugged him again. He was so adorable and cuddly. Emmeryn smiled and she too hugs Harry. Maribelle frowned as she saw that she was now blocked off from hugging him. Lissa pouted that Emmeryn was hugging Harry and not her. "Siiis." She whined. "I was hugging him first."

Emmeryn smirked "Do you think that I don't deserve to hug such a precious child?" she asks rhetorically. Lissa huffed and crossed her arms with a pout. Maribelle snickered at how Lissa was acting.

"Now, now, Lissa, let others have a turn."

"Don't wanna share my Harry." Lissa said. Harry blushed at her words. Maribelle rolls her eyes and lightly hits Lissa on the head. Lissa pouted. "Maaaariiiiii..."

"You asked for that one Lissa dear." Maribelle pointed out with a smug look on her face.

"This is payback for the hospital isn't it?" Lissa accused.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Maribelle feigned ignorance.

Lissa sighed. "I was trying to bring you out of your funk, meanie."

"Again, I have no idea what you are talking about. Are you sure that you didn't suffer from some sort of head trauma recently?" Maribelle replied before taking a sip of her teacup not hiding the smirk that was on her face.

"You're mean." Lissa muttered. "All of you are just mean..."

"Lissa you should've known that a long time ago." Chrom said chuckling at his sister's predicament.

"I did, believe me. But that doesn't mean I have to like it." Lissa said. Everyone laughed in response.

"Emmeryn, I have something I need to talk to you and Chrom about in private later." Maribelle whispered into Emmeryn's ear.

Emmeryn blinked, then looked over and nodded. "Of course, dear." She whispered back.

The rest of the dinner passed without incident, soon Harry was full and showed signs of sleepiness so Lissa volunteered to carry him to bed. Maribelle waited for Lissa to help explain what happened earlier to them. Harry yawned as Lissa scooped him into her arms, and rested his head on her shoulder, smiling softly. She carried him into her bedroom and she gently kissed him on the forehead "Sweet dreams Harry." she whispered. Harry smiled up at her cutely, then fell asleep. Lissa smiled and leaves the door partially open and she heads towards the study where Maribelle was waiting for her. "What's going on, Mari?" She asked.

"I'm nervous about what I'm about to tell your siblings Lissa. I mean how do you tell someone's best friend's relatives about magic?" she asks her. Lissa smiled and clapped her hand on Maribelle's shoulder.

"Mari, trust me. They'll understand, after all you're friends with me aren't you?" she asks her rhetorically.

"Yes...But...It's magic, Lissa...It's not something one just accepts."

"You could always pull a rabbit out of a hat to break the ice." Lissa joked. Maribelle looked at her flatly, then bonked her upside the head again. "Hey! I was trying to make you laugh." Lissa complained.

"This is serious!" Maribelle scolded.

"Yeah, I know that, but you're being too tense about it." Lissa said.

"It's just...What if they're unwilling to accept it?"

"Let me deal with it then. You're not going in this alone remember Mari?" she asks her best friend.

Maribelle sighed. "Yes...You're correct..."

"Now let me see a smile." Lissa said softly. Maribelle forced herself to smile. "Meh, it'll do." Lissa said. "Now come on!" Lissa opened the door and shoved Maribelle inside the study making her yelp in surprise.

"Lissa, don't shove!" Inside the room was Emmeryn sitting by the the fireplace which was currently unlit, Chrom was leaning against one of the bookshelves watching the two with an amused smirk on his face.

"Hello girls. What do you need to talk to us about?"

"I have something important to tell the both of you." Maribelle said and then proceeded to tell the two about what REALLY happened earlier that day. Chrom and Emmeryn listened intently as Maribelle spoke. And soon she explained everything about the wizarding world and the circumstances in which she lived in. When she finished Chrom was the first to say something after a long silence.

"Can you pull a rabbit out of a hat?" he asks eagerly. Maribelle stared at him, utterly dumbfounded. Lissa couldn't speak due to not being able to breathe from laughing too hard. Emmeryn facepalmed at Chrom's question.

Maribelle's eye twitched "I have a better idea: How about YOU be the rabbit." she said and transfigured his clothes to resemble a bunny outfit.

"OH MY GOD I CAN'T BREATHE!" Lissa laughed. At that moment Fredrick entered the room due to the commotion, he stared slack-jawed at Chrom wearing the outfit.

"...I shall be off...not laughing..." He said as he turned to leave the room.

"The scary part is that I believe him." Lissa said. Then the loud, boisterous sound of Frederick's laughter was picked up by the occupants of the room. "Then again I've been wrong before." Lissa stated.

"...Please return my clothes to normal..." Chrom mumbled.

"Lissa, will you please get a camera for blackmail purposes?" Maribelle asks sweetly.

"Emmeryn, make her stop." Chrom squeaked.

"Sorry little brother but you literally asked for this to happen." she replied with a smirk on her face.

"I didn't intend for it to turn out like this!" Maribelle laughed when Lissa came in with a camera.

"Take several at least, dear."

Lissa and Maribelle laughed evilly "Would you like a few sister?" Lissa asked Emmeryn.

"Yes, I'll put them up in a portrait in the hallways."

"Or better yet, I'll show these to Sumia and Cordelia." Emmeryn said much to Chrom's horror.

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?!"

"For the hell of it brother." Lissa said simply snapping pictures away.

"I THOUGHT YOU WANTED A SERIOUS CONVERSATION!"

"It stopped being serious the moment you asked for a rabbit out of a hat." Maribelle pointed out.

After several humiliating photos were taken the comedic moment finally came to an end much to Chrom's relief. Maribelle sighed and looked to Emmeryn.

"I hope this doesn't change things between us. I was afraid to reveal this to you and your brother for good reason," Maribelle said. Emmeryn smiled warmly.

"Maribelle, you've been a good friend to Lissa, why would I condemn you for using magic? Magic from what you told me can be used for both good and evil." she said.

Maribelle smiled and teared up. "You're too kind, Emmeryn..."

Chrom cleared his throat "So now that the revelations are finished, what are your plans concerning Harry?" he asks the witch.

"I...I don't know..." Maribelle admitted. "I just wanted to get him away from those savage beasts..."

Emmeryn looked thoughtful for a moment "Perhaps you could tutor Harry in controlling his magic to prevent accidents from happening?" she suggested.

Maribelle blinked. "Well...I suppose I could..."

"It's not like you have any other ideas do you?" Emmeryn asks.

Maribelle smiled. "Yes...I'll do it."

"We'll have to discuss what Harry will need to learn in more detail later. But we should get some sleep, it is getting rather late." Emmeryn commented looking at the clock.

Lissa hopped to her feet. "I'll take you to the guest room, Mari." She offered.

What about you Lissa?" Maribelle asks.

"Harry's up in my room. I'll stick with him." Lissa replied.

Maribelle nodded "After what he's been through, he would like to see a familiar face when he wakes up." she said.

"Exactly." Lissa nodded. "C'mon, let's go." The two make their way to Lissa's bedroom and they look on Harry's cute form. Lissa clenched her fists and squealed softly with delight. "So CUUUUUUUTE..."

Maribelle smiled "I know, at least he's in good hands now." she said.

Lissa nodded. "Yeah...The whole family will take good care of him."

Maribelle looked at how happy she was and for some reason her heart sped up "A-anyway, goodnight Lissa." she stutters slightly but Lissa did not hear it.

"Night, Mari." Lissa waved with a smile. Maribelle quickly runs back to the guest room and quickly shuts the door, her heart beating like crazy.

'What's going on...?' She thought. 'What is this...' "Maybe the events of today has me agitated. Yes, that's it just getting agitated, nothing a good night's sleep won't cure." Maribelle said to herself. She approached the bed, and climbed into it, pulling the blankets up to her chin. She closes her eyes and for a moment the image of Lissa playing with Harry pops into her head. She let a small blush come across her face moments before she fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Harry's eyes slowly fluttered open. He felt warm and snug and someone was holding him close... He looked to see Lissa lying next to him with a content smile on her face. He smiled himself, then snuggled into her chest, savouring the warm, loving aura that emanated from the young shifted his weight so that he could hug Lissa as well.

He loved Lissa. She had been nothing but kind and supportive of him since the moment he met her.

Lissa squirmed a bit before opening her eyes to see Harry cuddling her "Good morning Harry." she said kissing his forehead. Harry smiled softly, blushing slightly at the kiss.

"G-good morning Miss Lissa." Harry said. Lissa giggled and gave him another kiss on his cheek.

Lissa stretched and pulled the covers away from her "So how about we get some breakfast?" she asked smiled and nodded, giggling as Lissa placed her hands under his armpits, scooped him up and twirled him around. "Well let's get you cleaned up before we eat." she said leading Harry to the bathroom. Harry nodded and allowed himself to enjoy being held.

Meanwhile Maribelle was waking up herself and she too headed to the bathroom to freshen up. Maribelle failed to hear the water in the washroom running... So without knocking she opens the door.

Her face immediately turned red at the sight before her.

There standing in front of her was Lissa nearly naked clutching a bathrobe in an attempt to cover herself. Lissa stared at her friend in shock, Harry already in the tub.

Stammering an apology Maribelle quickly shuts the door and rushes back to her room. Lissa was blushing as well, but she shook her head and climbed into the tub with Harry.

"Was that Miss Maribelle?" Harry asked Lissa

'Yes...It was..." Lissa replied, still blushing at being seen in this state by her best friend.

"Why did she run away?" he asks her.

"We'll tell you when you're older." she replied quickly.

Maribelle closed the door to the guest room, trying to fight off the fierce blush on her face. 'I never knew she looked liked that underneath all that clothing.' Maribelle thought with a blush. 'Also she looked really cute.' her thoughts went back to that previous moment. 'NO! MARIBELLE, DO NOT PICTURE YOUR FRIEND NAKED!' But no matter what the image was burned into her memory. 'Why do I feel this way?! I should've knocked first, now Lissa is going to be embarrassed to be near me.' she thought 'Maybe I should Obliviate the memory from my mind.'she mused to herself 'That will make things less awkward.' she concluded.

Meanwhile, Lissa was humming merrily as she shampooed Harry's hair. She decided to put the awkward situation from earlier out from her mind and focuses on making sure that Harry was nice and clean. And he was getting very close. Lissa carefully washed the scars trying her best not to hurt him unintentionally. She sighed at the sight of the horrible scars.

'I wonder if Mari knows a spell to get rid of scars?' she thought absently as she scrubs Harry's hair making sure not to get any shampoo into his eyes.

Harry smiled softly as Lissa cleaned his body. It felt nice. Harry struggled to not fall asleep in the bathtub despite how warm it was. Lissa giggled again. Harry elicited that reaction from her a lot.

Soon Harry was clean and was snuggling in the warm towel that was wrapped around him drying him off. He let out a soft yawn. Lissa giggles at his reaction "Comfy?" she asks him. He nodded, then closed his eyes. "You can take a short nap after we eat breakfast okay?" she said. Harry nodded gratefully.

Finally, Harry was dry. Lissa got him dressed in some of the clothes that were bought the day before, a dark green shirt, jeans and sneakers. She then carried him down to the dining room.

By this time everyone else was there and in front of Harry was pancakes with butter and syrup. He began eating his breakfast.

Emmeryn looked from the newspaper she was reading "Oh, good morning Harry, Lissa." she said.

"Morning, sis." Lissa replied.

"Good morning Miss Emmeryn." Harry replied. Emmeryn giggled.

Lissa looked around and sees that Chrom wasn't there "Sis, where's Chrom?" she asks her older sister.

"He is training with Frederick." Emmeryn replied.

"Training?" Harry asks.

Emmeryn nodded. "You see, Chrom is actually a very skilled swordsman. And Fredrick aside from being our butler has ancestors dating back to the time of King Arthur, and each male of his family has served our family for generations. This includes training in swordsmanship."

Harry blinked. "Wow..."

Emmeryn chuckled "Wow indeed." she said.

Lissa giggled. "My big brother's the best swordsman I know."

Emmeryn looked at her watch "Well I must be off, I'm going to be working late so don't bother waiting up." she said before leaving.

"Bye, sis!" Lissa waved before turning to Harry. "I'm gonna go get Mari." Lissa waited until Harry was finished with his meal before the two head to Maribelle's room.

Maribelle was just getting over what she had seen in the washroom, and was in the process of getting dressed for the day when she heard the door open...

She whips around to see a blushing Lissa standing in the doorway with Harry nowhere in sight. "LISSA!" She yelped, pulling a blanket off the bed to cover herself.

"EEP!" Lissa squeaked and immediately bolted slamming the door behind her.

Maribelle blushed. "Wonderful..." She muttered.

"Sorry!" Lissa said from behind the door. "I thought you'd have been dressed by now and I didn't mean to see you naked!"

"Why are you here?" Maribelle asks irritably.

"I wanted to get you for breakfast..." Lissa squeaked.

"I'll be there in a moment." Maribelle replied.

"O-Okay..." Lissa stammered. She turned to see Harry who was confused at what had happened "When you're older." Lissa said automatically as she picks Harry up and they return to the dining room. Harry blinked, utterly baffled.

'Miss Lissa is weird.' Harry thought to himself.

'I AM SO EMBARRASSED!' Lissa screamed internally. 'To be fair she barged in on me earlier so this must be karma calling for payback.' she rationalized. She sighed. 'Still...I'm jealous, I mean she looks really good. But me I'm just plain.' she thought sadly. She pouted. 'No fair...Why's Mari prettier than me? 'Still, she does have a nice figure.' she thought before shaking her head 'No! Bad Lissa! No perving your magically gifted best friend.' she internally reprimanded herself. Still, she felt her blush hadn't faded.

"Is something the matter Miss Lissa?" Harry asked his guardian.

"No...I just...I dunno..." Lissa replied.

"You can tell me Miss Lissa." Harry replied.

"No I can't. You're too little." Lissa cooed.

"Then perhaps you can tell me." a woman's voice spoke, Lissa turned around to see a woman with brown hair reaching to the middle of her back with a pair of hair clips in the shape of wings.

"Sumia! What brings you here?" Lissa asks the family stable hand.

Sumia smiled. "Well, I was hoping to meet the newest addition to the family." She replied.

"Harry, this is Sumia she and Cordelia work here at the stables. By the way where is Cordelia anyway?"Lissa asks her.

"She's still sleeping." Sumia giggled. "She never was a morning person." She approached to greet Harry. "Hello Harry, my name is Sumia." Sumia greeted him.

Harry smiled shyly and waved. "H-Hi...Miss Sumia..." He said softly.

"Come on Harry, I promise that I won't bite." she replied.

"He's just shy, Sumia." Lissa giggled.

Sumia blushed "My apologies, well I need to wake Cordelia up so that we can get some breakfast in." she said before turning to leave she makes it five steps before stumbling and falling to the ground "I'm okay!" she said.

Harry looked at Sumia and blinked. "Um...Those boots look hard to walk in..."

"Actually, she's that clumsy. It's a bit of a running gag here." Lissa explained.

Harry nodded. "Oh...I hope she's not hurt..."

"She'll be fine." Liisa reassures him. "She trips every thirty minutes and gets up like it never happened. In fact you can pretty much set your watch to it." she affirms. "I already did that." She pointed to her watch. Lissa looked at her watch and sees that it was 9:30 "Come on, we're supposed to meet Mari at the dining hall so we can discuss what we're going to do today." she said carrying Harry to the dining room. Harry smiled and nodded.

The duo arrived to see Maribelle already there eating a traditional breakfast "Ah, good morning Harry." she greeted him.

"How'd you get here before us?" Lissa asked.

"Sthall informed me of a few shortcuts he knows about." Maribelle informed her.

"...Why you and not me?" Lissa pouted.

"You never asked Lissa dear." she said.

"Well I'm totally gonna."

"Anyway, what shall we do today?" Maribelle asks. Lissa looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Maybe we could show him around the mansion and the grounds?" she suggested.

Maribelle nodded. "Excellent suggestion."

They waited for Maribelle to finish with her food before heading off for the tour.

"What will we show him first, Lissa?" Maribelle asked.

"How about the Library?" Lissa answers.

Maribelle smiled. "I do love your library."

"While we're at it I do have a few questions on 'that' you might be able to provide answers for." Lissa said hiding the existence of magic from Harry.

Maribelle understood what she meant. "Yes...I will explain at a later time, dear."

As the two make their way to the library Harry looked around at the impressive paintings that were scattered throughout the hallways.

"Wow...The paintings are so pretty..."

"We gathered these paintings from various artists and occasionally we find a good sale on a rare painting." Lissa informed him. She smiled. "I love these paintings." Maribelle sighs, whenever Lissa starts talking about the paintings she tends to fill in on more obscure tidbits of the artists.

"Lissa, dear, I know you love art, but shall we continue the tour? Please?"

"Right, up next is the kitchens where our chef Sthal is in charge." Lissa said opening the door to the kitchens. Harry peeked inside.

"Dammit Donnel! You need to dice the mushrooms before grilling them!" a loud voice was berating a younger male.

"Sorry, Sthal." the young man apologizes. Harry flinched at the volume of the voice. The first voice belonged to a young man slightly older than Lissa, he turned around to see the entourage and flinches at the hard stare that Lissa was giving him.

"Is...there a problem, Lissa?" He asked nervously.

"You do remember that there is a new guest here right?" Lissa asked him rhetorically.

"Oh! Is he...here right now...?"

Lissa pointed at Harry "Sthal, this is Harry. Harry this idiot is Sthal, and the guy with the pot in his head is his assistant Donnel." Lissa introduced.

Harry waved shyly. "H-Hi..."

Sthal smiled "Hey little guy. Nice to meet you!" he greeted.

"Howdy!" Donnel chipped in with a grin.

"H-hello." Harry greeted politely.

Lissa giggled. "He's shy."

"And the fact that you yelled at Donnel did not help at all." Maribelle said.

Donnel looked to Stahl. "Yeah, Stahl, ya shouldn't have yelled like that!"

"How was I supposed to know he was right behind me?" Sthal said.

"Be aware of your surroundings." Lissa said sternly.

"Come on, I'm sorry okay?" Sthal said trying to get back in Lissa's good graces.

Lissa huffed and put her hands on her hips. "I'll forgive you this time." She said.

Sthal wiped the sweat off his forehead in relief "Anyway, welcome to our humble kitchen." he said to Harry. Harry looked around. This kitchen was far more advanced than the one he had worked in at the Dursley's.

"I get to work here?" Harry asks in awe. Stahl and Donnel exchanged confused glances while Lissa and Maribelle looked horrified.

"Harry, you are too young to work the ovens, let alone cook a proper meal." Maribelle pointed out.

Harry looked confused. "But I did it all the time at Uncle Vernon's house..."

"I see." Maribelle said hiding her shock and disgust at what the Dursley's actions "You don't have to do that here Harry, not until you're older." she said.

Harry looked surprised, yet relieved. "Really? No more cooking?"

"No more cooking." Lissa said. Harry sighed with relief and hugged her leg.

Donnel leaned over to Sthal "D'you think we're missing something here?" he asked the head chef.

"Most likely." Stahl replied.

"Is it something that would most likely very upset?" Donnel asks.

"Again, most likely."

"Should we talk to Lissa after the five cent tour she's giving Harry?" he asked one last question.

"...Most likely."

Donnel pretended to look at a nearby clock "Well we need to get lunch prepped so swing by later afterwards." he said.

"We will totally do that." Lissa said with a grin. "C'mon, Mari, Harry."

"Where are we going to next Miss Lissa?" Harry asked. Lissa thought for a moment...

"Well as it so happens the entertainment room is nearby. So let's head there." Lissa said. "You'll love it, Harry." She said with a grin.

They entered a large room with various arcade machines and some pinball machines, also there was a jukebox that was playing an old Bon Jovi song there was also a old fashioned pool table in the center of the room, there was a small bar with various alcoholic beverages and soda for the underage drinkers. There was already a large glass of soda with a slice of lemon on the rim and a straw inside sitting on the bar. Harry stared in awe at the large room.

"Huh? Where'd this come from and where's Vaike?" Lissa asked out loud, moving to pick up the soda.

"Um, excuse me that's mine." an older male's voice spoke making the trio jump in fright.

"Kellam! You mustn't sneak up on us like that, darling." Maribelle lightly reprimanded.

"I didn't sneak up on you, I was calling out to you the whole time." the figure revealed to be a large man with a bowl-shaped haircut, his appearance looked as though he was always asleep but that was not the case. He was dressed in what appears to be clothing that looked bulky.

"How did you not notice him?" Harry asked, confused. It was pretty hard to miss a guy in a huge suit of armour sitting at the counter.

"We don't know, it's like our eyes slide off him for some reason. Not to mention we never actually hear him at all despite the armor that he wears." Lissa explains.

"I saw him just fine." Harry admitted softly. Lissa, Maribelle and the newly introduced Kellam stood there in shock, not only did Harry actually see him but heard him as well? Kellam sniffled and teared up.

"You-you really could see and hear me?" he asked him.

Harry blinked. "Um...Y-Yeah..."

He was suddenly enveloped in a manly hug from the armored man "THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!" he said repeatedly expressing his happiness.

'...Adults are weird.' Harry thought.

After a moment Kellam put Harry down "Sorry about that. I'm not normally that emotional. The name's Kellam and I serve as the bodyguard around here." he said. "So...yeah. Don't worry about anything, because I got your back."

"So where's Vaike? He'd be here at this hour cleaning the place." Lissa asked.

"He said he wasn't feeling well." Kellam replied.

"Huh, that's funny, I saw him yesterday trying to hit on Miriel." Lissa said.

"That's why he's not feeling well." Kellam explained.

"Um, who's Miriel?" Harry asked them.

"Ah! She's the librarian." Lissa explained. "This is usually around the time she takes her break, so we won't see her in the library. She's probably in her room studying... She also does a lot of research for various sciences."

"Sciences?" Harry asked.

"Math, biology and other cool stuff. But it can wait until we get you into school." Lissa replied. Harry nodded in understanding."As it so happens our next stop is her lab." Lissa continued leading them to a pair of steel doors. Harry looked at the doors curiously. "Miri has a lot of experiments so we built this steel reinforced lab in case something goes wrong." Lissa explained.

Harry looked at her. "Um...What could go wrong in there...?"

"Harry, trust me. You do NOT want to say that." Maribelle said "There is a common phrase 'Do not tempt the great god of irony Murphy, lest he makes a fool of you. Saying something like that is an invitation to an untold amount of trouble, please be more careful in the future." she said to Harry. Harry looked unsettled and nodded, looking back and forth for any sign of things going wrong.

Inside the room was a laboratory like those seen on television, vials of chemicals bubbling over the Bunsen burners, various mathematical formulas written on a chalkboard and numerous papers scattered about with books accompanying them for reference. And sitting at a desk was a young redhead woman with glasses, hair tied in a bun, wearing a stereotypical scientist outfit of a white labcoat and grey pants.

"Ah, Miss Lissa and Miss Maribelle this is quite an unexpected surprise to see the two of you gracing my lab." the woman said. "And this must be young Harry." She nodded in Harry's direction. "My name is Miriel and I run this lab here." she introduced herself to Harry.

Harry smiled softly and waved. "Hi Miss Miriel."

"So what brings the two of you here?" Miriel asks them.

"Oh nothing, really. We're just giving the little guy a tour." Lissa replied.

"I see, then perhaps a brief tour of my facilities would suffice?" Miriel asks.

Harry grinned. This place was interesting. "Yes please!" He said eagerly.

"I will have to ask you to not touch anything, we wouldn't want you to get hurt in any way." Miriel said. Harry nodded, used to not being allowed to touch anything.

So Miriel introduced Harry to some of the experiments that she was working on, like a working time machine, but for the moment it's still in the beta phase. "To be honest, I'm unsure if I'll ever truly finish it."All of a sudden a beam of light shone from the machine and inside the pod was a note. Curious, she picks up the letter. "What is this...?" She mumbled.

"Dear Mother,

If you are reading this then the time travel device is a success. My name is Laurent your future son, for obvious reasons I cannot divulge the identity of my father in order to prevent any possible chance of being erased from the timeline or worse. You will create many wonderful inventions so do not give up.

Sincerely your future son Laurent."

Miriel blinked in surprise as she stared at the letter. "Well that was unexpected to say the least." Miriel said flatly. Harry giggled. "It appears that I will have something to look forward to. If you'll excuse me this needs to be analyzed for any trace components." Miriel said.

"Cool. See ya later, Miriel." Lissa picked Harry up and waved.

After the leave the room Lissa announced where the tour was going to take them "Okay, next up is the study/library." and she led them to a pair of heavy oak doors. Lissa smiled. "There's lots of books there we can read you."

Harry smiled "I would like that Miss Lissa." he said.

"Oh trust me, so would I." Lissa replied.

The trio entered the library and Harry stared at the numerous books that was stacked upon the shelves. Lissa giggled. "We still have books from when Chrom and I were little in here." She explained.

"They also have numerous books about history, science and other topics." Maribelle said.

"Perhaps we could tutor you."

"Lissa, maybe we should table that discussion for later." Maribelle suggested.

Lissa pouted. "Fine..."

"I'm not saying it's a bad idea. But we need to know what we're getting into before we decide on this." Maribelle pointed out.

Lissa nodded. "Maybe Miriel could help..."

"That's something to consider for now." Maribelle agreed. "Now what?"

"Well we could visit the stables." Lissa suggested. "Cordelia would love to meet him."

The three left the library and headed outside, it was a beautiful day outside with very few clouds in the sky. They make their way to a large building which Lissa identified as the stable.

"That's where we keep all the horses." She explained.

'Hmm...I wonder how they would react to a Pegasus?'Maribelle thought ruefully as they entered the structure. She smirked at the thought. Sumia would be all over it...

Lissa opens the door "Sumia! Cordelia! We're here!" she calls out.

Sumia came up with a small smile. "Hello, girls! Hi Harry!"

"Lissa?" a woman's voice spoke and a woman around Sumia's age dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, her long red hair triggers something in Harry but he is unaware of why. Cordelia saw Harry, looked surprised for a moment, then smiled warmly. "Ah! And who is this?"

"Cordelia, this is the newest addition to the family Harry Potter. Harry this is Cordelia, she's in charge of keeping the stables in working conditions.

Harry smiled softly. "Hi."

Cordelia laughed "Come on, I'll show you around." she then gave Harry a brief tour of the stables.

It was a simple tour. Maribelle disliked the stables. She thought they smelled abysmal. Lissa on the other hand was used to the smell having to sometimes help Cordelia or Sumia when one or the other had personal matters to attend to.

"C'mon, let's go introduce Harry to the horses!" Lissa said cheerfully.

"If don't mind I need to talk to Maribelle about something." Cordelia said, Lissa nodded and she and Harry went off to look at the horses. Cordelia turned her attention back to Maribelle "How long has he been abused?" she asked bluntly.

Maribelle sighed. "Five years..."

Cordelia pressed her lips together tightly in order to prevent her from shouting or cursing "I see, I take it you want advice as to how to handle someone who was abused?" she asked the witch.

Maribelle smiled. "Well, if it wouldn't be too much trouble..."

"First of all showing him affection and love that he was denied is a step in the right direction, second make sure that you pay attention to his needs or he will become depressed and withdrawn. Third, have him gradually step outside his comfort zone, and by that I mean have him interact with children his own age, I suggest you start off with a play date with a couple of kids and gradually include a group of kids. And finally, children at his age are curious about the world around them so I suggest taking him to a few museums, especially if they are kid friendly and allow interaction, that will help him cope with removing whatever was beaten into his head by his relatives." she said.

Maribelle put a hand to her chin thoughtfully. "Yes...That can't be too difficult."

"There is one more thing that goes without saying. If for any reason you get upset or angry at him you must not lash out or react in a negative manner, doing so will have him relapse into what he was before you rescued him. At this point his worldview is completely altered so he will need time to adjust to his new surroundings. Putting too much there too soon will do more harm than good." Cordelia said.

Maribelle grimaced at those words. "Believe me, I have learned my lesson from doing that..."

"No offense Maribelle, but it doesn't hurt to remember something like this when it actually does happen." Cordelia replied.

Maribelle sighed. "I won't forget the way he looked at me."

"I know. You want to do everything to be the perfect guardian for him right?" Cordelia asked.

Maribelle frowned. "I want to try to help him, but it appears Lissa will be doing most of the...well, mothering." She gestured over to Harry and Lissa.

"There's nothing wrong with being there for him, as long as you are supportive and encourage him to be the best he can be." Cordelia said "But you will be there to help Lissa with the little things that she would most likely forget to teach him." she finished. "Let's face it...She can be quite forgetful."

Maribelle laughed "True. Thanks for the advice Cordelia." she said to the stable-hand.

"Anytime, Maribelle. If you ever need advice again, you know where to find me." Just at that time Lissa returned with Harry on her shoulders.

She was smiling widely. "Hey, Mari!"

"Hello, Lissa. Hello Harry. Harry, did you enjoy the tour?" Maribelle asked him. Harry smiled and nodded.

"Thank you for the tour Miss Lissa." Harry said to the woman. "And you too, Miss Maribelle."

Maribelle smiled "You're welcome Harry, so Lissa where to next on the tour?" she asked her best friend. Lissa looked thoughtful.

"Maybe the living room?" Lissa suggested. Maribelle agreed. The trio said goodbye to Cordelia and they head back inside. Once they reached the living room, Lissa sighed and sprawled onto the couch. "Whew, I'm tired." she said as she leans back against the couch. "Been a long day..."Lissa looked to see Harry was barely keeping his eyes open. She giggled and cuddled him close. "Tired?" she asked Harry. The tiny boy nodded absentmindedly and put his head on her chest.

"Maybe we should take him to bed so he can get a nice nap in?" Maribelle suggested.

"I DID say I'd let him have a nap after...breakfast..." Lissa remembered. "I just got so excited about showing him around I forgot." Lissa said sheepishly. "I'll put him to sleep now..." Lissa held Harry close and sang a lullaby that Emmeryn used to do when she was Harry's age. Harry looked up at her sleepily as the soothing melody reached his ears.

Soon the soft melody worked its 'magic' and Harry was soon softly snoring. Lissa giggled softly. 'He looks so cute sleeping like that.' she thought as memories of her and Emmeryn together helped her remember the great times she had growing up. 'Thanks, Em. Your care gives me the idea of what to do.' Silence... "Um, Mari I have a few questions about magic if you can answer them." she asked her best friend

"Oh? Well, of course. Ask to your hearts content, dear."

"Is there anything that you know about Harry's parents? Like their names or any other facts?" she asked.

Maribelle sighed. "That, dear, is a long, sad story."

"Can you tell me?" Lissa asked.

Maribelle nodded. "Very well. To be honest I never really interacted with the other students at Hogwarts, I preferred to keep to myself so that I would avoid any inter-house politics or schemes. I do know their names though, Harry's father's name was James Potter and his wife was Lilly Evans, nearly a decade ago the wizarding world erupted into a type of civil war led by a dark wizard under the moniker 'Lord Voldemort.' during that time those that actively or non-actively resisted him were killed or tortured. Among his faithful followers were Belltrix Lestrange who was for lack of a better term bat-shit insane, she was responsible for torturing and killing several wizards and witches. Then a few years ago all of a sudden Voldemort was defeated, apparently when he attacked the Potters he killed James first and then Lilly, and when he tried to kill Harry somehow the spell he used rebounded and outright destroyed his body. The fallout from this was that his followers were smart enough to avoid being prosecuted by claiming there were under the Imperius Curse which is one of the three most unforgivable curses that they routinely employ. Others simply bought their way out by bribing the right judge." Maribelle said.

Lissa gasped and teared up at the story. "And you? Did you fight in the war?" she asked tearfully.

Maribelle shook her head. "My mother and father wouldn't allow it."

"Why?" Lissa asked.

"Because...they couldn't have their...precious heir hurt..."

"At least they cared enough about you to prevent you from fighting." she said softly hugging her.

Maribelle internally snorted. 'Try 'they didn't want to lose the one who would take over the house...' Maribelle shook her head to clear those thoughts "There were those that actively fight against them most notably the Order of the Phoenix but all they did was mostly hit and run tactics. Aside from that they used non-lethal spells to incapacitate them." she continued.

Lissa looked down sadly. "...So basically, this dark lord was wizard Hitler..."

"He was worse, he actively killed any non-magicals so he could show his superiority." she responded.

Lissa scowled. "Disgusting..."

"To be honest I'm sugarcoating this for the most part." Maribelle replied. Lissa's breath hitched. "Yes it is that bad." she answered the unasked question that Lissa was about to speak. Lissa shook her head, horrified. "I think that if Lilly hadn't somehow created a shield to protect Harry then the war would still be going on. And I wouldn't have my best friend with me." she said.

Lissa raised a brow. "...Not too sure I wanna know what you mean by that..."

"They would've tortured you and your family before killing them." I said.

Lissa paled. "I...I feel sick..."

"From what I've heard some of the more depraved ones would take their time about it." she said making the sickening feeling worse."Still...I wouldn't worry too much. After all, it's quite likely the military would be able to deal with wizards quite easily, seeing as how most wizards fail to understand how much more powerful than magic muggle science can be. We certainly don't have magic that can produce nuclear explosions..."

Lissa suddenly looked thoughtful "You said that this Voldebutt guy's spell rebounded on him right?" she asked her friend.

Maribelle nodded. "Yes. People seem to like to say that it was the love Lily had for her son that did it."

"Do you think that he might have done something unintentionally to Harry?" Lissa asked worriedly.

Marribelle froze. "Oh dear...I'd...never considered that possibility."

"Is there anyplace we could go to so that we can find out for sure?" Lissa said. Maribelle looked thoughtful.

"Well there are a couple of places, the first is Saint Mungo's hospital for magical maladies and injuries, and the second is Gringott's Bank." Maribelle answered.

"Which one's better?" Lissa asked.

"I think Gringott's our best bet. The goblins that work there have had dealings with dark magic so they would find something a magical doctor would initially miss." Maribelle replied.

Lissa blinked. "Ooh, goblins!"

"Well goblins are primarily warriors but over the centuries they reached a tentative peace with wizards, they control the economy and we pay for their services." Maribelle explains.

"I wanna see 'em!" Lissa whispered excitedly.

Maribelle looks at Harry's sleeping form "Tomorrow, Harry's tired and he'll need the energy for whatever happens." she said.

Lissa nodded and gave Harry another kiss. "We should wake him up for dinner." Lissa remarked.

"But he just fell asleep." Maribelle protested.

"I meant when it actually does become dinner, we have a few hours until then," Lissa clarified.

"...Lissa...I want to hold him." Maribelle said softly.

Lissa smiled "Go ahead." Maribelle gently moved over near Harry and she carefully slid her arm underneath him and she gave him a warm hug.

She let out a soft squeal of delight. "You're right, Lissa, he IS cuddly..."

"I know!"Lissa whispered excitedly. "Look, he's snuggling up, he's snuggling up!" Lissa gushed. Indeed he was moving closer to Maribelle, she smiled warmly as she felt happy for Harry. "Um, c-can I hug him with you?" Lissa asked hesitantly. Maribelle blushed heatedly.

Maribelle swallowed hard at the question before answering "Y-yes you can." she replied.

"Yay!" Lissa cheered as she wrapped her arms around the tiny little boy, and by extension, her best friend. 'This feels nice.' she thought as she snuggled closer. 'Mari's really warm...'

'She smells like jasmine.' Maribelle thought as her best friend hugs her. 'I love it...*Yawn* I'm getting sleepy myself. Maybe I can take a quick nap.' she thought, it was getting harder to stay awake,

Lissa yawned too. 'M'sleepy...'

And soon enough they were sleeping ignoring the problems for the moment and taking this time to rest. The two women were cuddling each other just as much as they were cuddling Harry.

Unbeknownst to them a figure opens the door to see the three in blissful slumber 'It looks like I'm going to win that bet sister.' Chrom thought as he quietly shuts the door leaving them to their own devices.

Emmeryn came home later for Chrom to shoot her a triumphant smirk. "Oh, what has you smiling all of a sudden?" she asked.

"I'm fairly confident I'm going to win our little bet."

Emmeryn chuckled "We'll see little brother, we'll see." she said before heading off. Chrom simply smirked.

"We'll see indeed." he said. 'Victory is mine, sister.' He thought. 'Be ready for it.'


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning Lissa, Maribelle and Harry were bustling about getting things ready for their visit with the goblins. "Lissa, please hurry up and finish combing your hair already!" Maribelle called out, exasperated.

"Where's the hairspray?" Lissa said worriedly.

"This is a very urgent meeting, Lissa." Maribelle groaned. "We haven't the time for this."

"I'm nervous okay? I mean I'm going to meet actual goblins." Lissa said.

Maribelle sighed. "Lissa, they're not as bad as you make them out to be...Okay, let me rephrase that, they can be that bad. But as long as you're respectful towards them they won't do anything rash." she tells her.

There was a moment of silence. "...Well I can't risk offending them by not looking my best!"

Maribelle facepalms at Lissa's comment. "We could also offend them by BEING LATE."

Lissa let out a "Eep!" before rushing off to get dressed quickly.

Maribelle smirked in satisfaction. "Miss Maribelle, will Miss Lissa be okay?" Harry asked her from his perch on Lissa's bed.

Maribelle rolled her eyes and smiled. "Yes, dear. She's just being a drama queen is all."

"I am not a drama queen!" Lissa shouted from the bathroom as she was getting changed.

"Last month you went into a two day depression because you tripped in front of your crush." Maribelle said flatly.

"That's different! Besides, we broke it off a week ago." Lissa replied.

Maribelle sighed. "Just finish getting ready."

'...Grown ups are so weird...' Harry internally reiterated to himself.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity Lissa stepped out from the bathroom dressed in a white sleeveless dress with lace accents. Maribelle blushed slightly, turning away. "Yes...That will do..." She mumbled.

"So how are we going to get to this Gringotts?" Lissa asked.

"Well, I was thinking perhaps the knight bus." Maribelle said with a grimace.

Lissa sweatdropped. "I don't like the look on your face there..."

"Let's just say, you'll share my sentiments on how much I hate using the Knight Bus." Maribelle explains.

Lissa winced. "Is there really no other way?"

"Well, your home isn't connected to the floo network and I can't apparate with you and Harry with me." Maribelle replied.

Lissa sighed. "This is gonna suck, right?"

"The term "Human pinball" would be an apt description." Maribelle sighs.

"I don't wanna go anymore, Mari..."

"Too late Lissa, you wanted to go to Gringotts in order to have Harry checked out. We are not backing out of this." Maribelle spoke. Lissa pouted and let out a soft whine. Maribelle sighs "Let's get this over with." she muttered and the three head outside to the gates, she raises her wand up and casts a Lumos spell, and with a loud "Bang!" a royal purple triple decker bus appears out of nowhere startling the trio.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!" Lissa shrieked in terror, holding Harry protectively. Maribelle quietly chuckled at Lissa's reaction as the doors opened. "I DON'T WANNA!" Lissa screeched. Maribelle glares at Lissa killing anymore protests. "Ooooooh..." Lissa moaned as she trudged onto the bus.

Welcome aboard the Knight Bus, where ya headin'?" Stan spoke to the two passengers.

"Leaky Cauldron, obviously..." Maribelle mumbled.

"That'll be seven Sickles." Stan said as Maribelle paid the driver.

"Yes, I will pay to ride this deathtrap..." Maribelle muttered under her breath.

Stan ignores her and waits for the trio to be seated "Leaky Cauldron in three stops!" he announced and the bus speeds off violating several traffic laws, not that anyone could see the triple decker bus anyway.

"I HAAAAAATE THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!" Lissa shrieked. Maribelle had to restrain herself from smiling at Lissa's misfortune unless she wanted to throw up what she ate the night before. Harry had been literally strapped down by Maribelle, and he was eternally grateful for this. Soon the bus stops at the Leaky Cauldron and Maribelle and Lissa stumble out of it, to an casual observer it would look as if the two were drunk. "Oh my God, why...?" Lissa whimpered.

"I swear their driving gets worse whenever I step on board." Maribelle half growled half slurred. Lissa looked utterly traumatized, pale as a ghost and shaking head to toe. Maribelle managed to regain her composure and helped Lissa regain hers "Now follow me and don't try to attract attention to us." she said to her friend. Lissa groaned in repsonse and held a hand to her head. "Come on, they'll have ice cream." Maribelle offered.

"...They better have cookie dough..." Lissa whimpered.

"They have more flavors than Ben and Jerry's." Maribelle replied.

"...I want more than one..." Lissa said softly.

"I promise that you'll get a bowl once we're finished at Gringotts." Maribelle promised.

"Then let's go!" Lissa cheered excitedly.

'I swear this woman is bi-polar or something.' Maribelle thought as they headed into the pub.

'And yet, I love her anyway. ...As a friend, of course!'

She shook her head and led Lissa to where the entrance to Diagon Alley was. Lissa stared at the brick wall before them. "Okaaaay...Now what?"

Maribelle couldn't resist showing off "For my first trick, I will make an entire shopping district appear." she proclaimed and tapped the right sequence of bricks, making them all vanish and the rest of the bricks followed until the whole of Diagon Alley appeared. Lissa stared with a sense of childlike wonderment, as did the little boy she was holding. Despite herself Maribelle laughs at their combined expressions "Welcome to Diagon Alley!" she said.

"...This is a place...A place that exists..." Lissa said dumbly, stunned by the sight before her.

"According to some historical texts the place is covered with several types of charms that prevents non-magical people from finding it." Maribelle explained.

"Wow...Is there anything magic CAN'T do?" Lissa asked.

"Trust me, there are spells that are very obscure and dangerous for a reason." Maribelle warned.

Lissa eeped. "Noted..." She said softly.

"Now follow me." Maribelle ordered and the three of them headed to a large building that seemed to impose it's presence over the others "Here we are, Gringotts bank." she replied. Lissa stood there and looked at the plaque that adorned the building.

"It's so big..." She breathed. "Our banks aren't that big..."

"Most banks don't have underground vaults and tunnels that stretch out for miles and the high security ones guarded by dragons." Maribelle replied dryly.

"You never told me that stuff, no need for the attitude..." Lissa pouted.

"What attitude? It's the truth." Maribelle replied as they entered the building.

"Well I didn't know, so..." Lissa stuck her tongue out at her friend.

Maribelle rolled her eyes at her friend's actions as they walk up to a nearby goblin. "Excuse me, we're here about the meeting?" She said.

The goblin looked at Maribelle before pulling on a nearby rope "Wait over there and someone will escort you to the King." he gruffly replied pointing to a small row of chairs nearby.

Maribelle blinked, but nodded and did so, slightly put off by the curt response. "Wow, rude much?" Lissa asked when they sat down.

"Well, they are a rather gruff race..." Maribelle admitted.

"But still, there was no need to be a jerk about it." Lissa complained.

"I know, I know." Maribelle said calmly. "But try not to lash out or anything."

"Okay." Lissa sighed and gave Harry a small hug. "Goblins are meanies." She whispered in the little boy's ear. Harry giggled at her words. Lissa giggled back and rested her chin on his head. Soon a goblin entered the waiting area.

"The king will see you now." he replied leading the two to a pair of large golden doors.

"Wonderful." Maribelle nodded as she rose to her feet.

The goblin knocked on the door "Your majesty, Lady McDowell is here to see you." he announced.

"Ah, yes. Send her in, if you will." Came a reply. The doors opened to reveal an opulent office that look to cater to the clients, in a large high back chair was an elderly goblin but he was fairly fit for his age. "I see you brought your friend, then." The goblin said calmly.

"Yes sir, this is Lissa. She's been my best friend growing up and has just recently has learned about the magical world." Maribelle introduced.

"I see. I suppose she's involved with young Mr. Potter too, then?"

"She intends to adopt him on the muggle side. She is also the one that pointed out to me that HE may have done something to Harry before his death." Maribelle replied.

The goblin froze and his eyes widened. "You mean...Voldemort...?"

Maribelle nodded "Yes, for all we know he may have done some sort of ritual prior to the incident." she said remembering that it was not uncommon that a Dark Lord or Lady tended to use forbidden rituals in exchange for power.

The goblin adopted a grave expression. "...Do you have any ideas what it could be?"

"This is why we came to you sir, according to Maribelle the goblins are experts when dealing with curses." Lissa spoke.

The goblin nodded. "Indeed we are. It's good you came to us."

So can you help us?" Lissa asks hopefully.

The goblin nodded. "We certainly can." He replied.

Maribelle had to restrain Lissa from leaping from her chair to hug the goblin. "Now, Lissa, I'm sure the nice goblin wouldn't want to be hugged by you...Your hugs are quite...erm...forceful, to say the least."

Lissa pouted at her friend's comment but relents. "Fiiine." She groaned.

Maribelle coughed bringing the attention back to the task "So how can we tell if he had done something to Harry?" she asked him.

The goblin looked serious. "It will take a serious ritual..."

"How serious are we talking about here?" Lissa asked hesitantly.

"Well what we need to do first is find out if there is an actual curse on Harry." he replied.

"Okay, so you have some weird, complex spell for that or something?" Lissa asked.

"Yes we do, if we detect a dark spell on Harry it would depend on how we can treat it." the goblin replied.

Lissa nodded in understanding. "Okay."

"We'll have to schedule the scan in for tomorrow since it is so late in the day." he replied glancing at the clock.

Lissa frowned. "Oh...Okay...What time?"

He leafed through some papers "Would ten o'clock sound good?" he asked.

"Totally!" Lissa replied. "Right, Mari?"

"Barring any unforeseen problems, I don't see why not." Maribelle replied.

"Well then, it's a date." The goblin replied with a nod.

Maribelle spoke up "We should return home Lissa, no doubt Emmeryn and Chrom are worried about you." she said standing up.

Lissa smiled. "Yeah...I did leave a note though..."

Maribelle rolls her eyes and the three of them leave the bank. Lissa smiled and was practically skipping out the door. As soon as they left the Leaky Cauldron Maribelle called for a taxi to take them back to the manor not wanting to subject Harry and Lissa to another traumatic experience on the Knight Bus. Harry had secretly enjoyed the bus, personally, but he said nothing. He didn't have the right to complain, and his two caregivers both clearly didn't like it... They entered the manor and by then it was getting rather late, Lissa noticed a small note. 'Lissa, there's leftovers in the kitchen for you, Harry and Maribelle, just warm it in the microwave.-Love Em.' she smiled and they headed to the kitchen.

"Your sister's too kind..." Maribelle said fondly.

"She raised me and Chrom, she had to have the patience of a saint for that." Lissa agreed.

Maribelle smirked. "That's true." She teased. After eating the leftover food the three head to Maribelle's room to sleep. After all, it was still very early, and they were tired... They didn't bother changing out of their clothes resolving to do it in the morning. They were FAR too tired for it... Before any of them realized it they fell asleep piratically dead to the world. Harry was especially content, snuggled up between the two women. Maribelle was on his left and Lissa was on his right both hugging him. It was the best moment of his life...He felt so loved... Soon the sounds of quiet snores filled the room.


End file.
